In 2020, Backlinko discovered that web pages with the greatest number of total backlinks rank better in Google.
In fact, the company also found out that the top result in the search engine had an average of 3.8 times more backlinks than those in the places following.
Businesses have since tried to obtain more links in their content to increase search engine rankings and traffic.
Four years later, backlinks still matter in achieving better rankings and traffic, which was confirmed in the 2024 Google Search Algorithm Leak.
What’s changed is that the source of links has become important, with factors like link freshness, site authority, and brand presence playing a significant role in rankings.
This is where strategies like earning top-tier media coverage come into play.
QGP, a reputable SEO company, has long-recognized tactics and has already implemented them in its platform.
In a previous interview, QGP CEO Kosta Hristov weighed in on how the Google leak affected businesses, shedding light on some of the key aspects discovered in the controversial API documents.
Today, he joins us again to discuss:
- Best practices for aligning media campaigns with link-acquiring goals
- How to capture the attention of busy journalists
- How to build lasting media relationships
- Key strategies for earning high-authority media coverage through digital PR
Given that media coverage supports acquiring links, it's no secret that most businesses today leverage it as a tool to improve their profile, increase search engine rankings, and establish authority.
Previously, DesignRush invited SEO experts Mike King, AJ Kohn, Daniel Foley for a roundtable discussion about the implications of the Google leak on search ranking factors. Watch below to learn more:
Digital PR plays a major role in achieving effective media coverage that will boost links.
According to Kosta, marketing specialists should always keep SEO in mind when performing digital PR campaigns.
“Media coverage is a good way to generate a natural-looking backlink profile, but it’s merely the basis for a link campaign. It provides limited quantities and takes a lot of time.
Building strong digital PR links is an ongoing process, but especially effective in the beginning, to form brand authority,” he says.
Muck Rack Co-Founder and CEO Greg Galant spoke with DesignRush about the key elements of a well-received pitch to journalists and explained why you must customize your every pitch while ensuring it’s short and to the point.
Watch the video to learn more:
Kosta shares some best practices businesses should follow to ensure their media campaigns are aligned with their link objectives:
- Focus on getting coverage in reputable media outlets
- Build relationships with various media outlets to create a more natural and balanced profile
- Ensure the links you gain from media coverage include keywords that align with your brand’s SEO goals
- Regularly review your profile to ensure your links stay relevant and high-quality
- Cultivate strong, ongoing relationships with key media outlets to ensure continued growth in visibility and SEO impact over time
Capture the Attention of Busy Journalists with Direct and Clear Pitches
One in five journalists receive over 50 pitches per week, but only 3% find the majority of those pitches relevant, a Muck Ruck survey reveals.
This highlights that breaking through the noise is a major concern for businesses aiming to earn media coverage and emphasizes the need to create highly targeted and relevant pitches to capture journalists' attention.
Kosta believes that to ensure their pitches stand out in a crowded media landscape, businesses should avoid relying on AI-generated pitches.
“All kinds of marketers are currently pitching using AI, and all the generated pitches sound the same way. You can stand out by being direct, succinct, and straight to the point. Don’t waste people’s time,” he adds.
In a previous podcast, DesignRush spoke to AJ Kohn, a marketing veteran with over 25 years of experience, who talked about why businesses mustn’t use AI in branding highlighting the need to balance AI-generated content with maintaining brand authenticity.
Watch the video to learn more:
But how can businesses effectively condense a broader study into a short and engaging pitch for journalists?
“The less verbose the better. Stick to the basics — use bullet points and short paragraphs. The idea of the pitch is to catch their interest, not to educate them on the matter.
No one has time to read long emails, especially from people they don’t know,” Kosta explains.
Hence, businesses should only cover the most important and relevant points in the pitch to hook journalists' interest and not overwhelm them with information.
Build Lasting Media Relationships with Patience and Strategy
Despite the great number of tools available to reach journalists instantly and deliver a pitch for relevant, fresh content, businesses still struggle to build meaningful relationships with them.
Kosta shares four tips businesses can leverage to overcome this challenge:
- Be persistent: Building trust takes time. Focus on consistent, thoughtful outreach, understanding that familiarity grows with sustained effort.
- Establish your brand first: Journalists prefer engaging with well-known brands that have a clear value proposition. Invest in your reputation to be seen as a credible source.
- Be respectful of the journalist’s time: Avoid overwhelming journalists with constant follow-ups. One well-crafted pitch is far more effective than multiple unsolicited messages.
- Provide valuable content: Discover the topics that interest journalists and deliver relevant, high-quality content. This builds trust and increases your chances of media coverage.
Strategies for Earning High-Authority Media Coverage in 2025
Google places great value on backlinks coming from news and high-authority sites.
Hence, I asked Kosta what are the top ways businesses can earn top-tier media coverage in 2025.
He answers that businesses can achieve this mostly through reputable and high-end site placements from providers like QGP or by executing digital PR campaigns.
Both ways can help drive backlinks, increase reputation, and achieve higher search engine rankings; however, the latter requires investing a lot more time and effort.
Kosta shares several key strategies that can help earn media coverage through running digital PR campaigns:
- Leverage exclusive insights: Journalists crave fresh perspectives. By conducting surveys, publishing research, or sharing expert analysis, businesses can position themselves as industry authorities and reliable sources for future stories.
- Optimize your media assets: Make it easy for journalists to use your press materials. Invest in high-quality visuals, strong quotes, and clear messaging to boost your chances of media coverage.
- Target niche outlets first: Focus on building relationships with niche media that cater to specific audiences within your industry. Establishing credibility here can pave the way for coverage in larger publications down the line.
We previously spoke with The Conscious Publicist Founder Ashley Graham about how businesses can master PR. Watch below to learn more:
Earning links from high-authority media outlets can be very difficult.
Even when businesses achieve coverage, ensuring the coverage is linked needs multiple follow-ups and requests, often hampering the relationship with the journalist.
“There’s no shortcut to get past this issue. Ask politely and don’t be pushy. Wait for them to respond, if they don’t in a week, follow up,” Kosta advises.
For businesses looking to improve their backlink profiles, and increase search engine rankings and traffic, running digital PR campaigns and securing links from reputable outlets is key.
However, it’s not something that comes overnight. Instead, it takes time, patience, and effort.
Having a reliable partner to assist you with your link profile can make a significant difference in achieving sustained growth.
QGP’s personalized approach to outreach, commitment to quality, and lack of AI-produced content processes position the company as a great partner that not only allows businesses to stay in line with Google’s changing standards but also drives long-term online success.
